1312 Interactive, India’s first dedicated PC and console game publishing house, today announced it has raised $1 million in seed funding. The round was led by Chimera Venture Capital and TAC, with participation from Ventana, Rahul Reddy G, Rohan MC, and Nara Srinivas. Founded by gaming industry veterans Deepak Gurijala and Raviteja Mantena, 1312 Interactive discovers, nurtures, and publishes world-class indie and AA games for global audiences. The company follows its successful pre-seed round, which brought on board backers including Akshat Rathee and Gautam Virk (Nodwin Gaming / Goodgame Investments), Rajat Ojha (Gametronics), Sridhar Muppidi (YesGnome), Tanay Tayal (Ex-Moonfrog), the Founders of Playsimple, Vatsal Chintalpati (ExMachina Investment Partners), and Rick Herman (Ex-Sony, Ex-Amazon).
The new capital will fuel 1312 Interactive’s expansion of its indie game publishing efforts across emerging markets globally, with a sharpened focus on premium PC and console titles. The company will continue to partner with talented developers, supporting their games through production, marketing, distribution, and platform relationships, with the goal of bringing culturally distinct, high-quality titles to a global audience. As part of this next phase, 1312 Interactive is also introducing 1312 Playground, a community-led initiative designed to give developers access to meaningful player feedback throughout the development process. 1312 Playground will help studios build engaged player communities early, offering real player input, hands-on testing, feedback, and audience insights well before launch. Krish Anurag, Managing and Founding Partner, Chimera Venture Capital, said, “1312 Interactive stood out to us because Deepak and Ravi aren’t just publishers, they’re operators who understand what it takes to get a game from a studio’s vision to a global storefront. Emerging markets are producing some of the most creative game development talent in the world, and 1312 Interactive is building the infrastructure to bring that talent to the players who are waiting for it. We’re excited to back their next phase of growth.”
Carol Wong, Founding Partner, T-accelerate Capital (TAC) said, “1312 is building the piece India’s gaming ecosystem has been missing: real PC/Console publishing infrastructure that can carry culturally distinct titles to a global audience. Deepak and Raviteja pair sharp editorial instinct with genuine operational depth, and their focus on shaping games alongside real player communities well before launch reflects the maturity of a new generation of studios ready to compete on the world stage. We’re proud to back them as they close the gap between where great games are made and where they get played.”
“This funding is a strong vote of confidence in our vision to build a global publishing platform rooted in emerging markets”, said Deepak Gurijala, Co-Founder of 1312 Interactive. “Great games can come from anywhere, but the infrastructure to take them to a global audience has historically been out of reach for many studios. With this round, we’re doubling down on our mission to close that gap, and to give developers the production, marketing, and community support they need to compete on the world stage.”
“1312 Playground is one of the initiatives we’re most excited about”, added Raviteja Mantena, Co- Founder of 1312 Interactive. “Too often, developers only hear from players after a game has shipped, when it’s too late to act on that feedback. We want to flip that model, connecting studios with real, engaged players from early in development so games are shaped by the communities they’re built for. Combined with our publishing pipeline, this positions 1312 Interactive as a true long-term partner for developers, not just at launch, but throughout the entire journey.”
With this fundraise, 1312 Interactive continues to build on the momentum from its debut publishing slate, which includes Winds of Arcana (Brewed Games), Palm Sugar: A Village Story (Mono Tusk Studios), Souls of Bombarika (Street Lamp Games), We Are So Cooked (Dwarven Brothers) and Misadventures of Space Man Biff (Prescription Studios) with 6-8 additional titles planned annually across marketing, QA, localization, and production support for studios in India and beyond.
“India has never had a shortage of game-making talent; it has had a shortage of the publishing infrastructure that turns a good build into a global release,” said Shylaja Rao, Founding GP, Ventana Ventures. “Deepak and Raviteja have spent their careers on both sides of that gap. We’re backing 1312 to become the layer that emerging-market studios have been missing,” Shylaja added.